One Good Dog Is One Good Book
Posted by Donna Levin on February 23, 2011 | READ & ADD COMMENTS BELOWOne Good Dog is a super novel, one that you do put down, but not because you want to: Because you can’t bear to see it end and you want to stretch it out as long as possible.
First of all, don’t read the Publisher’s Weekly review that’s reprinted on Amazon, as it gives away an emotional plot point near the end,for G-d’s sake. But never fear, no spoilers here.I’ll tell you less than you’d read on a jacket cover.
The novel has two protagonists, and the story of each is told in alternating chapters: first, there’s Adam, a Prince of Finance, who has overcome a wretched childhood in at least half a dozen foster homes to become reach his present position, in which he rules over a fiefdom of terrified underlings at the office and returns to a trophy wife at home. One day, with one impulsive act, he loses it all.(A note to all of us writers: This is a model of plotting.Take a character and turn his/her life around in the first chapter.)
Adam’s story is told in third person. But the other protagonist tells his story in the first person, directly addressing the reader. That other protagonist is a dog.
Doggie remains nameless until well into the book when he gets the name Chance. I confess I didn’t care for the name; it was a little obvious even without one character’s explanation of its meaning.But this is a small cavil indeed about the most delightful, entertaining and intelligent creation I’ve come across since Holden Caulfield broke the age barrier.
You see, Chance tells his story in the first person. This was a courageous and risky move by the author, but one that pays off brilliantly. Hasn’t every pet owner wondered what was going on inside their furry little heads?
Wilson had one advantage in taking this “Chance” (I kill myself, I really do):No one can argue with her interpretation of a dog’s thoughts.On the other hand, it’s hard to believe that a real dog has the understanding that Chance has.But I didn’t just suspend disbelief, I gave it a dose of Seconal and had a fine old time.
Part of the book is set in the world of dog-fighting. Two remarks on that: the author conveys all the horror of that “sport” (only Adolph Eichmann might call it a sport) without the blood and gore that some authors and readers seem to enjoy, and second, if anyone thinks that Michael Vick should be walking the street, I beg you to read this book.
Hey, you don’t even have to believe me, if you own a Kindle. Amazon will let you download a generous sample for free.Just read the prologue.Just the prologue.
